Koh Chang, or "Elephant Island", is the second largest island of Thailand, about 30 km long and 8 km across. It is part of an archipelago of 52 islands in the Gulf of Thailand close to the Cambodian border.

Koh Chang History

Since 1982 Koh Chang has been listed as a national park and marine park. The island has some delightful waterfalls and is blanketed in almost impenetrable virgin rainforest. The hilly interior rises to a peak at Khao Jom Pasat 744m height in the center of the island. Only the coastline with its beautiful white sand beaches is inhabited.

Activities

Koh Chang is a real tropical get-away. The main attractions are the great beaches and the unspoiled natural beauty. You can just chill out, or there are many activities to enjoy for the more adventurous, such as jungle trekking, elephant riding, mountain biking, fishing, and of course some great diving and snorkeling.

Koh Chang Marine National Park

Koh Chang Marine National Park offers some of the most delightful dive & snorkeling sites. The main dive season runs from October/November to April/May. Popular sites include the Ao Klong Son, Koh Yuak, Koh Man Nai, Koh Man Nok, Hin Larp, Hin Sam Sao, Hin Look Bard, Hin Run Taek, Koh Rom, Koh Wai, Koh Ngam, Koh Rang, Koh Laoya, Koh Mai Si Lek, Koh Raet, Koh Mak, Koh Kham, Koh Rayang Yai, Koh Kra, Koh Thong Lang, Koh Thian, and Koh Yak.

There are 2 wreck dive sites - one lies in shallow waters near the Salak Pet Bay, south of Koh Chang. The other, the Pak One Wreck, once called "the Vertical Wreck"became a danger to shipping and was towed to a new location where it now lies horizontal at 35 metres. The Pak One, however, is very rarely dived.

Bang Bao

Bang Bao is a small fishing Village in the Southwest of Koh Chang. It consists of authentic stilt houses over the sea along a pier that ends in a small picturesque harbour. The fishing life is still very active, and as a result the restaurants here offer the greatest variety of delicious seafood. This is the main departure point for trips to the marine park and dive sites. There are many shops on the pier including one notable English/Thai food restaurant right at the end of the pier on the left-hand side. Lovely European food can be purchased here.

The beach at Bang Bao has clear waters with rocks and corals off its shores. A good place to fish, snorkel or swim.

How To Get To Koh Chang

To reach us, first of all you need to get your flight to Bangkok (One month Visa given at airport). Your flight to Bangkok from the UK (for example) will range from 350 pounds too 500 pounds depending on the deals given and the amount of people going.

From Bangkok by plane

You can book a connecting flight to Trat by Bangkok Airways, which you can book over the internet as most travel agents do not have this listed and up to date. (www.bangkokair.com) The return fare is about 50 pounds. Once at Trat, it is a short taxi ride to the ferry ports to Koh Chang.

From Bangkok by road

Buses leave from Ekamai bus station every hour, price is around 200 Baht, and the trip to Trat will take 5-6 hours. The Trat taxis are waiting at the bus station to take you to the ferry, around 50 Baht.

From Cambodia by road

Once you have crossed the border at Hat Lek there are minibuses to Trat waiting in the parking lot on the right hand side, 100 Baht per person roughly. It takes just over one hour to get to Trat, where you can take a taxi to one of the piers and take the same route as above for the rest of your journey.

Koh Chang Ferries

There are boats to Koh Chang every hour; from Laem Gnob the last boat goes at 5 pm, 50 Baht. From Center Point the last ferry leaves at 7 pm, 30 Baht. Once on the island there are taxis bringing you to the beach where you want to stay.

Koh Chang Climate

The province of Trat, in the Gulf of Thailand where Koh Chang is located, has a tropical climate. Annual average temperature is 27.3°C with an average high of 31.3°C and an average low of 23.2°C. Mid-November to February is the cool, dry season when the temperature is at its lowest, especially in January when it averages at 21°C. March to May is the hot and more humid season.

April is the hottest month with an average high of 32.9°C, and a maximum of 38°C has been recorded. The wet season runs from the end of May till October and the dryest season runs from November to May.

Our training is setup to promote rapid and safe learning to international standards. We have a purpose built air-conditioned dive school on Bang Bao pier with all the latest training aids and materials. We also have a good variety of equipment for sale.

Our staff are all trained to the highest of standards. We use a swimming pool for all of the confined training dives and have a purpose built fast well-equipped speedboat.

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Published on: 2005-05-17 (3805 reads)